Survey of UK clinicians' approaches to decision making in neonatal intestinal failure

Outcomes for neonatal intestinal failure (IF) have improved significantly over the past two decades, however, there is no consensus for decision making among UK paediatric subspecialists.

The aim was to describe clinician's attitudes to decision making in neonatal IF and examine variation between subspecialties.

Neonatologists, paediatric surgeons and gastroenterologists were surveyed electronically. They were asked if they would recommend active or palliative care or allow the parents to decide in several scenarios; or if they considered treatment morally obligatory or impermissible.

Of 147 respondents, 81% of gastroenterologists would recommend active care (34.6% regardless of parental decision) for a term infant with total gut Hirschsprung's compared with 46% and 33% of surgeons and neonatologists. No gastroenterologist would recommend palliation while 23% of both neonatologists and surgeons would. Similarly, 77% of surgeons and 73% of neonatologists would recommend palliation for a 28-week infant with IF and bilateral parenchymal haemorrhages compared with 27% of gastroenterologists.Prognostic estimates also varied. A term baby with IF was estimated to have a survival of >80% at 5 years by 58% of gastroenterologists compared with 11.5% and 2.7% of surgeons and neonatologists. Only 11.5% of surgeons and 2.6% of neonatologist believed a 26-week preterm with IF would have a 5-year survival >60% compared with 59% of gastroenterologists.

There is substantial variation in views about outcomes and management choices both within and between specialties; with gastroenterologists being consistently more positive. This is likely to lead to unjustified variation in counselling and parental choices.